ORR_03202014

Serving Ogle County since 1851
OREGON
Republican Reporter
March 20, 2014 Volume 164, Number 14 - $1.00
Track Preview
Science Fair
Bonds Approved
The Oregon Lady Hawks are gearing
up for the 2014 track season. B1
A record number of students took
part in the OES Science Fair. A4
The Oregon School Board has $7.4 million in
bonds for HLS improvements. A7
Election Results - Sheriff
VanVickle
edges Harn
by 136 votes
By Vinde Wells
Editor
A Rochelle police officer
was the successful candidate
in a three-way race for Ogle
County Sheriff in Tuesdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
Republican primary election.
Challenger
Brian
VanVickle, 37, a Rochelle
K-9 officer, defeated current
sheriff Michael Harn, 52,
Forreston, by 136 votes.
Firefiighters from eight departments battled a fire at Whiskeyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s River Smokehouse on the evening of March 16.
VanVickle garnered 3,470
Photo courtesy of the Mt. Morris Fire Department
votes to defeat Harn, who
received 3,334 votes, and Joe
Drought, 50, Rochelle, who
received 2,821 votes.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m so appreciative of all
the people who stepped up
Fire destroys
restaurant
Stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Attorney
Blaze ruled accidental
By Vinde Wells
Editor
A fire that destroyed a
local restaurant Sunday
night in Oregon has
been determined to be
accidental in origin.
Oregon fire officials
and investigators from
the Office of the State
Fire Marshal (OSFM)
determined that the fire
that destroyed Whiskeyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
River Smokehouse and
the apartment above it,
located at 123 N. Second
St. was an accident.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;We know it was
accidental and started in
the basement area, but
we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know the cause
yet,â&#x20AC;? Oregon Fire Chief
Don Heller said Tuesday
afternoon.
Two
representatives
from the OSFM and a dog
went through the inside of
the burned-out building
on Monday morning.
The restaurant, which
has been closed for some
time, is located just north
of the Oregon Fire Station.
Heller said a jogger
saw smoke coming from
the structure and flagged
down an on-duty Oregon
Policeman who alerted
the fire department at 8:20
p.m.
The buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s owner
Kevin Wedel, who lived
Morrow beats
Rock by 477
in the upstairs apartment,
was not at home when the
fire occurred, Heller said.
Firefighters
found
heavy smoke when they
arrived on the scene.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;The building was still
intact and showing a lot of
smoke,â&#x20AC;? Heller said.
Oregon
firefighters
were assisted at the scene
by the Mt. Morris, Polo,
Byron, Stillman Valley,
Franklin Grove, Dixon
City, and Dixon Rural
Fire Departments and the
Oregon Ambulance.
Temperatures in the
teens and a brisk wind
made fighting the fire
difficult, Heller said.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;The cold was the
reason we had so many
crews there,â&#x20AC;? he said.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;That allowed us to
change them out often and
let them warm up.â&#x20AC;?
Best Beginnings Child
Care across the street
from the fire was forced
to close on Monday due
to the smoke inside the
building.
Owner Jeff Croegaert
said he anticipated the
facility would be open as
usual on Tuesday.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;The smell of smoke is
really strong inside,â&#x20AC;? he
said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re just airing it
out today to be on the safe
side.â&#x20AC;?
and took part in this vision,â&#x20AC;?
VanVickle said after the
votes were tallied. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all
come to fruition.â&#x20AC;?
Drought wished VanVickle
well as he conceded defeat.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was a very close race
obviously. We gave it our best
shot and thought we could
do some good things in the
county,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The voters
have spoken. Congratulations
to Brian VanVickle.â&#x20AC;?
Harn did not answer his
phone or return a phone call
by 10:30 p.m. Tuesday.
As the early returns came
in, Harn led the race by a
strong margin â&#x20AC;&#x201D; sometimes
Turn to A2
By Chris Johnson
Reporter
Ogle County will have a
new stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attorney this fall.
Challenger Eric Morrow
defeated
current
stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
attorney
Michael
Rock
Tuesday in the Republican
Primary 4,925 votes to 4,448.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;If these numbers ring
true I am excited and I
look forward to serving the
people in Ogle County,â&#x20AC;? said
Morrow minutes after the last
precinct reported.
Rock was planning on
calling Morrow. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am
going to call Eric tonight to
congratulate him,â&#x20AC;? said Rock
Tuesday evening.
Rock will continue serving
as stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attorney through
Dec. 1.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;When we get closer to the
fall we will work together to
ensure a smooth transition,â&#x20AC;?
Rock said.
Rock, 47, Byron, was
appointed stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attorney
in January 2013 after then
stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attorney Ben Roe was
appointed as a judge.
Tuesdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
primary
election was the first time
voters weighed in on who
they wanted as the countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
prosecutor to replace Roe.
Morrow, 38, Oregon,
graduated law school in 2000
and was an assistant stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
attorney before joining the
law firm of Smith, Hanson,
Morrow, and Floski in 2002.
Morrow also serves as an
Ogle County public defender.
Turn to A2
Arson investigator Mitchell S. Kushner and his K9 Zoe walk
down the entrance ramp of Whiskeyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s River Smokehouse
Monday morning. The shuttered restaurant burned Sunday
night. Officials said Tuesday that the fire was accidental in
origin. Photo by Earleen Hinton
Maxsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s to reopen this weekend
By Vinde Wells
Editor
The invitations are in the
mail and the finishing touches
are in the works for the grand
reopening
of
Maxsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
Riverside Restaurant this
weekend.
After a five-month hiatus,
the landmark restaurant just
north of Oregon will open
its doors Saturday afternoon
under new management.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to be up
and running on Saturday,â&#x20AC;?
said Nancy Semmerling,
Riverwoods, who with her
husband Frank purchased the
restaurant and its paddlewheel
riverboat last month.
Saturday will be a â&#x20AC;&#x153;soft
openingâ&#x20AC;? from 3 to 6 p.m. for
Oregon residents only.
Semmerling
said
the
invitations were dropped off
In This Weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
Edition...
at the Oregon Post Office on
Monday.
The restaurant will open to
the general public on Sunday
with brunch served from 10
a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Semmerlingsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; daughter
and son-in-law, Christie
and Daniel Wiegman, both
professional chefs, will be
running the restaurant.
Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been working
since the closing in early
Church News, A5
Classifieds, B6-B10
College News, A4
Entertainment, A6
Fines, B5
February to get ready for
their reopening.
Besides some remodeling,
the restaurant will have a new
menu.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to have a
childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s menu for the first
time,â&#x20AC;? Semmerling said.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;We would like to attract the
younger crowd with kids.â&#x20AC;?
Some of the old favorites
Library News, A3
Marriage Licenses, A4
Oregon Police, B5
Public Voice, A8
Turn to A2
Diabetes Walk at OHS
Ema Lantz and her teacher Marilyn Spangler take
a break from walking laps at the Blackhawk Center
March 18 during the sixth annual American Diabetes
Association School Walk for Diabetes. Students have
raised more than $1,000 this year for the walk. Photo
by Chris Johnson
Property Transfers, B3
Sheriffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Arrests, B5
Sports, B1, B2
Stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Attorney, B5
Deaths, B3
Walter P. Howald,
Waynes L. Schumacher
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